Remnant's Grace
by wyval
Summary: The search for someone Nameless can lead even an experienced Sensate to new places.
1. First Impressions

**First Impressions**

The Hunter pushed himself as much as he could, cursing all members of his team and the cruelty of Fate. Knowing his Semblance, he was sure he would be late, yet he would sooner die trying than leave the kids to their fate - even if he decided to have a nice talk with the older girl about such hair-raising stunts. He forced himself to be faster, to ride the wind as never before; this being perhaps the first time he seriously envied the ability of his sister to simply force open a portal. The thought of said woman brought a savage snarl to his face - gods damn the stupid, insane ways of their old tribe, why could she not stick around for a short while, at least for the sake of the kids? Oh, they would be having words, never mind his success or failure here.

His heart almost stopped at the horrified scream of a young girl - before he realized that it came from rather close by, and he might just arrive in time. With a desperate effort, he poured more of himself into his speed, one hand unlimbering his sword, gears whirring as the scythe blade unfolded when he burst out to the clearing, seeing his two nieces slowly inching back from an abandoned building, Yang shoving Ruby behind herself, keeping up a fighting stance - and he could not stop himself grinning, despite the circumstances. The kid had the proper spirit all right; now it was up to him to ensure she lived long enough to learn how to use it.

He focused on the ring of dark shapes and orange-red eyes, tensing in preparation for the charge and melee, when he spotted her - and the sight stopped even him in his tracks for a fraction of a second. The woman appeared from the forest, and the encroaching horde of Grimm seemed to hesitate, and he could have sworn the monsters flinched at her presence. Not a good sign in his experience - was this woman the being whom Ozpin suspected of opposing them, of seeking the Four Treasures? His nostrils wrinkled as a distant, very faint whiff of brimstone wafted over the clearing, barely noticeable under the much more appreciated faint perfume. The woman stepped towards his nieces, and he focused his Aura to propel him between them, to protect the kids, when the unknown woman turned from the girls, faced the Grimm. Brown, leathery wings extended from her back, snapped taut, shielding the kids from the monsters. She chanted something in a voice that was sinfully seductive and purely innocent at the same time, caressing his ears and insides, making him shiver, as she reached a dainty pale hand towards the Shattered Moon - then with a deafening thunderclap, the sky rained lightning, the howl of scorched, dying Grimm filling the air, as the beasts were thrown into disarray.

The Hunter bared his teeth in a vicious smirk, as he breathed out, then with a flash, he was amongst the disoriented Grimm, his scythe cleaving into the shadowy stuff of the monsters with ease as he weaved a dance of destruction across them, while keeping his nieces and the unknown faunus in sight. She was again chanting in that melodious voice of hers, and tiny humanoid shapes of light spread out from her, flitting and hovering protectively around the two girls, and the few Grimm that dared approach were burned away by the radiant sprites. A minute, maybe two later, the only sound on the clearing was the faint sniffling of the two kids, and the harsh panting of the Hunter, whose scythe switched back to a sword with a whirr of gears, as the man stepped between the winged faunus and the kids.

Now, Qrow Branwen did appreciate fine ladies - and the woman standing before him was perhaps the most beautiful he had ever seen. Long, blonde hair tied into an elegant ponytail, twinkling blue eyes full of humor and wonder, a classically beautiful face, curves in all the right places, accented tastefully by the brown corset and skirt she wore, a simultaneously wicked and demure small smile … he could not stop himself from grinning and letting his eyes linger just a few seconds, before he focused on the important matters at hand.

"Are we going to have a problem, sweetheart? I'd hate to ruin that fine dress of yours with blood, but if you think about harming the kids, I'll end you."

She smiled, and Qrow felt his insides melt just a bit, as his heartbeat sped up, before she spoke, her voice a silky, warm caress.

"I am but a simple traveller, and only came across the children by pure luck. Even if you find it strange from my kind, I never will stand aside and let children come to harm; not if I can help it." Her eyes twinkled, and her smile turned just a bit predatory, showing perfect white teeth. "Besides, I rather enjoy the thrill of such fights from time to time."

"Well, I don't know where you are from lady, but around here, we don't consider all faunus as child-killing abominations." She perked an eyebrow at the label, and he went on. "At least, I won't, especially not one who helped keep my nieces safe."

He stepped forward, hand outstretched.

"Name's Qrow Branwen, a pleasure to meet you."

"A pleasure to meet you, Qrow Branwen. Call me Grace."

The dainty fingers touched his hand, and her beautiful features contorted for a fraction of a second, and he heard a faint sizzle as she withdrew her hand with a mute hiss, the pale fingers blackened and burned where his rings touched them.


	2. A place to stay

**A place to stay**

Taiyang Xiao Long was worried, the enforced inaction eating away at him, filling his mind with nightmare images of the possible fates of his daughters. He cursed fate, the gods, the idiot who filled Yang's head with stupid, inaccurate information - but most of all, he cursed himself. What kind of a father had to rely on a teammate to find and rescue his children? What kind of father would leave two small girls alone for long enough to get away when there were Grimm around? Summer would definitely strip his hide, if she was alive. Hells, even Raven would probably have quite a few words for him, none fit for polite company. He fumed, willing Qrow to return with the girls safe and sound - if he did not, he'd … no, he would not go there. His teammate was one of the fastest Hunters alive, if someone could reach Yang and Ruby, it was him. Damn, what took him so long?

He paced back and forth on the lawn before the house, unable to stand still, to wait inside. He had to know, as soon as possible. If Qrow did not return within minutes, he'd have to leave, follow him - if only to see, to get certainty, to get rid of the doubts.

Movement from the treeline drew his gaze. Eyes narrowed, he felt a weight vanishing off his shoulder as he saw the two small girls with Qrow - then he involuntarily perked an eyebrow when he realized there was a fourth person, a winged faunus of some kind, and a woman to boot. He snorted, struggling to keep a wide, relieved grin off his face. Trust Qrow Branwen to find a woman while pulling off a rescue operation … and what a woman, at that!

Taiyang was well aware how overblown his reputation as a womaniser actually was (after two marriages, who would not want a little peace and quiet with the wonderful daughters he had?), but even so, Qrow's companion was a sight for sore eyes. Still, that registered mostly as an aside, as his eyes focused on Yang and Ruby, as he jogged to them, hugging his daughters with desperate relief, forcing back his own sobbing.

Qrow looked away, slightly embarrassed as usual when facing such familial affection. The faunus smiled slightly, and Taiyang felt the sincere warmth and happiness in that expression, enveloping him like a comfy blanket, making him shiver in delight. Damn, why did he feel like when he first meet Summer and Raven?

"So, Qrow, you going to introduce me to your lady friend?" The blond Hunter smirked at his teammate, his expression morphing into a grateful, full smile as he turned towards the faunus, and nodded. "I'm Taiyang Xiao Long, and I cannot tell you how grateful I am for you helping Qrow in bringing my daughters back."

The faunus smiled wistfully.

"I am Grace, Hunter Xiao Long - and it was my pleasure." Her smile turned even more radiant, if such a thing was possible, and both men felt rather warm for some reason. "It was an interesting experience, and I am happy to see that you love your daughters even more than Qrow said."

Taiyang's face went a shade or two redder, and Qrow chuckled.

"Seriously, Tai, are you going to kneel there all night?"

Clutching his girls close, the blond hunter motioned for Qrow and Grace to follow him as they stepped towards the house, the woman hesitating for a second at the threshold, before she entered, folding her wings close to avoid jostling anything inside.

Taiyang carried both Yang and Ruby up to their room, the two tired, frightened kids quickly falling asleep. He stood there for a minute or two longer, drinking in their features, shuddering at how close he came to losing them, then went down to rejoin Qrow and Grace. As expected, he found them in the kitchen, with glasses in their hand, the faunus slowly, carefully running her dainty hand along the various kitchen appliances, a look of wonder in her expressive eyes, while Qrow was leaning against the sink, a half-full glass in his hand, his eyes riveted on the woman, carefully tracking her every move. Taiyang's gaze sharpened; this was not Qrow ogling a good-looking woman, this was the Hunter checking on a potential dangerous adversary. He coughed to get their attention.

"Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, Miss Grace, but may I ask what brought you to these parts of Vale?"

Her answering smile was heartbreakingly beautiful and sad, the breathy, melodious voice conveying the hope and yearning in her words.

"I am looking for an old, dear friend of mine." The winged woman's eyes shone with conviction. "And my sources indicated I might find him around these parts."

"Do you have a place to stay while you search?" The faunus shook her head, a small smile on her lips. "Well, you are welcome to stay here, Grace - that is, if you don't mind sharing the house with us."

Qrow snorted into his drink.

"Tai, that's quick work, even for you."


	3. Realizations

**Realizations**

Qrow watched their new guest (and apparent new housemate) closely - and while he would not have denied enjoying the view, the faunus' appearance was not the sole reason, or even the main reason for him doing so. No, he was simply contemplating some minor, seemingly innocuous things about Grace that did not really add up. None of those small signs would have been enough by itself, but all of them, taken in together, that was enough to set off his inner alarms - and also made him curse his own Semblance once again.

Obviously, her wings were the first tip-off. Sure, winged faunus were not totally unknown, but he never ever heard of one who had such batlike wings - admittedly, this may have been just a quirk in her genetics; after all, there were plenty of other faunus who had only a single animal-like physical trait … and besides, she could have had some other physical sign hidden under her clothes. No, even with the similarity to the leathery wings of Nevermores and Griffons, this alone would not have been enough to make him suspicious. But when he added the fact that the touch of his rings burned her hand, that was a notch or two higher on the weirdness scale. Still, that in itself might have been a simple allergic reaction; it's not like she would be the first to react that strongly to the touch of some substance. Again, not common, but not unheard of.

Then, there was how she behaved once in the house. She gently, carefully touched furniture, basic household appliances, curtains - and her eyes, her face, her whole stance radiated an almost childlike curiosity and happiness at exploring the sensations. Her eyes followed Tai closely while he was making dinner for the three of them, having put the girls to sleep. Qrow could not be sure, but the way she seemed to be delighted in watching simple things like the stove or the old-fashioned coffee maker work was as if she never saw such things before. Her face, while adorably cute (and yet somehow wickedly tempting), was alight with the joy of discovering something completely new - and while Tai's kitchen was not exactly state of the art, it should not be unfamiliar to her. Especially since she was rather coherent (ruling out simple-mindedness), and did not seem to be wounded (again, she did not really act as if she had taken a blow or ten to the head).

And there was how she acted when battling the Grimm - sure, experienced Aura users could pull off rather interesting things (with a bittersweet smile, he thought on the signature glyph-based tricks of the Schnee family), and Semblances can veer into rather esoteric, almost magical territory, but even so, calling down lightning without any evidence of using Dust would be a remarkable, singular event, quite unprecedented unless one counts the legends of the Maidens. He snorts at that, knowing full well how much truth there is in those legends - and the darker ones that likely originate in the same past. The ones Ozpin and his cabal made sure to tell him about. The ones that go way back to those two legendary brothers, the so-called gods of creation and destruction.

Qrow sipped at his drink, frowning. Sure, all minor things, perfectly understandable, easily explained away - yet when taken together, they formed a picture he was not comfortable with. What kind of faunus was she, exactly? Where did she come from? And damn, why did she have to be so attractive and distracting - come to think of it, that was likely another factor why his instincts screamed at him about something being off. Or perhaps his distrust was caused by his dear sister and her callous nature, damn her for almost getting the girls killed!

He again sipped from his flask, then muttered a curse as he realized it was already empty - and when he stood up to go for a refill, his eyes narrowed at Grace. Something was odd. And then it hit him, and his jaw fell open.

"A quill? You are using a quill?" Qrow could scarcely believe his eyes. Was she really serious? "Are you some kind of monk, or nun, or something? Why not use a scroll?"

Grace smiled softly at him, her eyes twinkling.

"Writing calms me down, allows me to experience everything once more as I note it down." Her face betrayed a slight puzzlement then, as she went on. "As for using scrolls, well, I would loath to waste energy in creating those just for the sake of a few lines of notes." She flashed a small, delighted smile. "And besides, I have just the thing for the more interesting memories."

Qrow noticed a small, glittering gemstone in her hand which he was sure had not been there a few seconds ago - and come to think of it, where did she put that small diary she was scribbling in earlier? And what did she mean by wasting energy on scrolls? It's not like those things were hard to come by, not even at the frontier, so why did he feel as if the two of them were talking about entirely different things? Grace smiled at him, and he felt as if she was reading his mind when she pulled out that small, leather-bound booklet with a dainty hand from _somewhere_.

"Never would have pegged you for the type to keep such an old-fashioned diary, sweetheart." Qrow chuckled, the sound dying in his throat as for a moment, a bone-deep sadness swept over Grace's face.

"It does have a certain old-fashioned charm, I suppose." a wistful smile appeared on the faunus' lips. "Still, I rather enjoy updating my journal, especially when encountering such delightful new experiences as here." Her eyes twinkled merrily, wickedly - and Qrow had to fight down the urge to blush and giggle like a teenager. The woman continued, her quill poised over the pages of the booklet.

"So, care to explain what exactly those demons were who wanted to eat your … nieces, was it?"

A plate shattered on the kitchen floor, and Taiyang cursed disbelievingly - and Qrow shared his brother-in-law's surprise for a brief second, before his whole body went to combat readiness.

"What are you, exactly? And how come you don't recognize the Grimm?"

A tilted head, quizzical look, a quill scratching briefly on paper.

"So you call them Grimm, I see." She nibbled on the quill for a moment, before she smiled sadly. "In a way, they are very distant cousins of my kind."

Qrow stiffened, his mind racing through all he knew about Remnant's past and myths, and despite the circumstances, he could not suppress a disbelieving chuckle as the realization hit. _Ozpin will love this_.

"You believe yourself a succubus, or what?"

"I see, so we are not entirely unknown on this world."


	4. Discussion

Qrow shared a hesitant, disbelieving glance with Taiyang. Sure, they had seen and heard some weird things during their life as Hunters (apart from the various forms of Grimm), were privy to a number of rather interesting bits of information courtesy of Ozpin, and they knew about some powers that could easily be called supernatural, but Grace with her nonchalant claim was probably taking the cake. Seriously, who in her right mind would say something like that, with a straight face? Was she just winding them up?

"Let me get this straight, sweetheart." Qrow's voice was somewhat shaky, in the murky territory between hilarity and fury at being pranked. "You claim to be a hell-spawned demon out to steal souls, kill guys like us" Taiyang waved frantically in the background for him to shut up, but Qrow was too much into the tirade "during literally mindblowing sex. Is that really what you are saying? Are you sure your parents did not drop you on your head a few times too many?"

Grace sighed, her whole presence exuding such a world-weariness and long-suffering patience that both men had to struggle hard not to bow and profusely apologize for disturbing such a lovely creature.

"Just because almost all of my sisters are like that, does not mean that I'm the same as them." She quirked an eyebrow at them, a rather intriguing smile on her lips. "After all, it is also said that all men are base creatures only ruled by their instincts - and whatever they may or may not have in their pants." Qrow chuckled and Tai sputtered. Grace's posture shifted somehow, and she was once again just like the proverbial girl next door. "Yet you two seem not so afflicted, so there seem to be obvious exceptions to stereotypes."

Tai barked a short laughter, and even Qrow had to struggle to keep a straight face.

"So what, Grace? You are the black sheep of your family?"

"I suppose you could say that." There was an undertone in her voice that affected both men, their thoughts going towards family and friends, both alive and departed.

Qrow closed his eyes for a moment, sighed deeply.

"Sorry about that, sweetheart, did not mean to tear up old wounds related to family." Fury flashed across his mind, and he quickly downed another drink. "We know how it feels when a family member leaves you deep in shit."

The back of the chair groaned under Taiyang's fingers, and Grace tilted her head to the side for a moment, considering.

"If my presence causes such distress, I'd perhaps better leave, instead of taking you up on your kind offer." A small, sad smile played on her lips. "It would not be polite to repay your kindness with causing you distress."

Taiyang huffed, and shook his head decisively.

"Don't worry about that. It's in the past, and we should not let that hang over us constantly." Qrow nodded, and the blond Hunter went on, a grin on his face. "Besides, my daughters might not forgive me for letting you go before they had a chance to thank you … and probably try and mess with your wings, come to think of it."

The answering warm smile was more than enough to make Taiyang rather uncomfortable for … reasons. He could barely hear the muted chuckling of Qrow, as his blood drummed in his ear, and his whole head felt hot.

"Sorry, sweetheart, one more thing." The dark-haired Hunter leaned back casually. "Not to call you a liar or a nutjob outright, but I'm sure you'd agree that it's kind of hard to believe that you are a mythical being in the flesh." His eyes lingered on the woman's form, and she rolled her eyes, a small smirk at her lips.

"Well, I suppose I do have a way of showing it to you - if you are willing to risk a rather novel experience?" With an eyebrow raised, a smug little grin on her lips and sparks in her eyes, Grace was the picture of mischievousness.

Qrow took another swig, allowed his eyes to dwell on her form very attentively - not that the woman's clothing left much to the imagination, even though it technically covered her rather well.

"What did you have in mind, sweetheart? Because as alluring as you are, I am not sure I'd risk a quick fling with you..."

Taiyang groaned, a hand over his face. Grace shook her head with a sigh and an exasperated smile, her face radiating fondness and sadness in equal measure.

"Simple minds, simple pleasures..." She pulled out a small, scintillating crystal from somewhere, and held it out for Qrow.

The two men shared a glance, Taiyang shrugged, before Qrow downed his drink, and stepped to Grace, his hand closing on the small crystal, before his eyes rolled up, and he would have fallen if not for the woman steadying him.

Taiyang shared a glance with Grace, as the two of them lowered Qrow into a chair.

"What happened to him, Grace? What was in that crystal?"

"He experienced a part of my life." She sighed wistfully. "A rather turbulent one, I'm afraid. Still, it should not cause him any permanent harm, unless his will is extremely weak and has trouble differentiating dreams from reality."

"Well, you can say many things about him, but weak-willed he is not." Taiyang scratched his head. "Still, was there no other way of convincing him?"

"Perhaps there was." Her voice was dispassionate, measured, her face and posture alike to a marble statue. "Yet this was the most direct and quickest solution." Her lips then parted in a small smile, and she was radiating warmth and mirth once again. "Plus, he did get to become rather close to me, in a way..."

* * *

Northwest of them, on a distant continent cloaked in darkness, hatred, crystals, and Grimm spawning pools, a pale figure glided silently towards her abode, after viewing the images sent by a torn, badly-scorched Grimm that barely managed to make its Queen aware of its predicament. As she pondered the vision, a pair of batlike wings unfolded from her back, and her lips peeled back in an eager, predatory grin.


End file.
